Flight Instructor Professionalism

The inherent risk associated with aviation demands a high level of professionalism among aviation employees to ensure safety. Professionalism consists of factors such as technical competence, personal competence, neatness and attractiveness of dress, and personal conduct. Many of these factors are able to be taught, measured, or judged. However, conduct is an intangible quality that is not easily taught or quantified. As such, the professional behavior of aviation personnel is difficult for the FAA to mandate and regulate. An individual’s conduct is a learned behavior that originates through culture, role models, and experience. In aviation, conduct is instilled during the aviation education process when students begin to identify with the aviation profession and take on the personal attributes associated with it. In particular, students learn the majority of their values, beliefs, and ethics of aviation thought their role model, their flight instructor. As such, the flight instructor plays a critical role in the development of student professionalism and it is important for flight training organizations to measure and improve the professionalism of their flight instructor staff. In this research, a method to quantify flight instructor professionalism was created through the development of a 16 question survey. The results showed that professional conduct among flight instructors is comprised of four major components: (1) Respect; (2) Instructional leadership; (3) Altruism; and (4) Responsibility

Employing Flight Simulation in the Classroom to Improve the Understanding of the Fundamentals of Instruction among Flight Instructor Applicants

An examination of the gap in the knowledge and understanding of teaching methods that exists in the aviation training industry is examined in this study. Previous research highlights the deficiencies associated with the initial training of Certificated Flight Instructors (CFIs). This study focuses on the training that is required on the fundamentals of instruction, specifically the difficulty associated with training future instructors on how to identify and respond appropriately to human behavior will be addressed. For the purpose of this study a virtual learning environment was created through role play and the use of flight simulation in the classroom. Two groups of CFI candidates were used. The first group consisted of 19 students and employed the traditional method of training. The second group consisted of 17 students and employed the use of role play and flight simulation in the classroom. The second group performed significantly better on the end of course knowledge exam that focused on the fundamentals of instruction. The results of the study suggest that the use of simulation and role play in the classroom has a significant impact on student understanding of the fundamentals of instruction

Session 5: Leadership in Aviation

Four presentations will be given during this session. Topics include multi-team systems in an aviation maintenance environment, leadership in an unpredictable environment, instructional planning, how learning and leading intersect, and hiring practices at one major carrier

Session 6: Professionalism - The Challenges of Preparing the Next Generation

The Challenge of Preparing the Next Generation. Six interesting talks will be given in this session. Presentations include generational issues and differences, the importance of instructional strategies on professionalism during the developmental years, professionalism, as a behavior that must be learned, and the importance of CRM and adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs)

Session 4 (continued): Flight Training

This session (split into two segments with a break in-between) explores a variety of topics in flight training from transitioning to multi-crew operations to determining hazardous attitudes of pilots. This session also addresses personality factors of flight students and the effects of pilot performance based on how many supervisors are monitoring the flight